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Friday, September 23, 2016

World’s first and only Michelin-starred ramen eatery to open here

Tsuta in Singapore will be the restaurant’s first venture outside of Japan

SINGAPORE — If you love ramen, then you will be counting the days until the world’s first and only Michelin-starred ramen eatery opens in Singapore next month. The exact date is not yet confirmed, but this outlet, Tsuta’s first overseas venture, will be located at Pacific Plaza (9 Scotts Road, #01-01/02/03).

It might be too early to say, but given the attention it garnered when it was awarded a Michelin star in the 2016 guide, fans here will want to start freeing up their schedules and prepping themselves to stand in line — early. It is said that hundreds of hopeful diners in Japan begin queuing at 6am for a ticket to dine at the nine-seater establishment in Sugamo in Tokyo, which only serves 150 bowls of ramen daily, and tickets typically sell out by 8am.

Thankfully, its Singapore outlet will have 18 seats, though it has not yet been confirmed how many bowls a day it will make available. Rest assured, it aims to dish out the same winning quality that have delighted gourmands and critics in Japan. Diners will get to choose from three types of soup bases: Shoyu soba, shio soba, and miso. The shoyu soba base features the piquant black truffle sauce and is typical of the unique flavour experimentation its founder chef Yuki Onishi is known for. The shio base, on the other hand, comprises a chicken-seafood blend, rock salt, red wine and rosemary infusions.

Under the supervision of Onishi, the Singapore kitchen aims to maintain the same high standards as its flagship outlet in Japan, and will be using the same special soy sauce and high-quality ingredients.

“There are many tonkotsu (pork-bone) ramen shops in Asia,” Onishi shared in a recent video interview. “But my aim is to create a ramen shop that can leave an impact with its unique dashi and umami flavours, and become as popular as tonkotsu ramen. For me, shoyu ramen is what usually comes to mind when one thinks of Japanese ramen.”

Tsuta’s base for the ramen dishes, he explained, features three types of shoyu (including a bespoke variety made just for the shop) blended in a stock (dashi) made with beef, vegetables, clams and other ingredients. “We plan to keep the quality of the ingredients consistent in Singapore,” Onishi shared. “For example, the soy sauce from Wakayama and all the other ingredients I consider necessary in Tsuta will be sent to Singapore from Japan.”

He did, however, add that “it’s alright if Tsuta Singapore doesn’t offer exactly the same flavours as my Tokyo shop”, as long as he can offer “the best ramen in Singapore”.